


Torso

by Spikedluv



Series: Coming Out (BtVS/QAF) [2]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Queer as Folk (US)
Genre: Crossover, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-02-02
Updated: 2011-02-02
Packaged: 2017-10-15 07:48:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/158649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spikedluv/pseuds/Spikedluv
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Debbie and Vic take Xander to visit Emmett at Torso.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Torso

**Author's Note:**

> Missing Scene from my fic First Impressions. Written for Willa’s birthday; she requested Xander, Emmett friendship from this 'verse.
> 
> Takes place one year before QAF-US season 1 and after BtVS season 3. Xander’s POV.
> 
> Written: November 29, 2004

_Earlier that week, Debbie and Vic had taken him to the Big Q to show him where Michael worked, and then to Torso, the clothing shop where Emmett worked. He’d been too slow with the refusals and denials of how good he looked in them, especially when Debbie had gotten onboard, and he was now the proud owner of a pair of form-fitting black jeans, black boots, and a skin-tight sage green t-shirt that had mesh panels up the sides. He considered himself lucky that he’d escaped the store before Emmett could convince him to purchase the lime green leather pants and hot pink mid-drift tee.  
~Excerpt from First Impressions_  


* * *

  
“Xander!”

Emmett’s greeting was effusive and would have been mortifying to the shy boy who arrived in Pittsburgh several weeks prior, but Xander had already gotten used to being embarrassed by Emmett and Debbie on a daily basis. Debbie was just being Debbie, but Emmett made no secret of the fact that he loved to see Xander blush. Besides, being wrapped up in the hug, and the smacking kiss that Emmett bestowed on his lips, were actually more embarrassing than the greeting, so it put things in perspective.

“Hey, Emmett,” Xander greeted the other man with a tad less enthusiasm, smiling at Emmett’s knowing grin.

Emmett let go of Xander with a show of reluctance and opened his arms wide. “Deb.”

“Hey, hon,” Debbie said, hugging Emmett, then kissing his cheek and absently wiping the lipstick off.

When Emmett pulled back from Debbie, Vic was already holding his arms out for his hug. Emmett smiled and stepped up to the older man with a sashay of his hips. “Hey, Vic. How are you?” he asked, rubbing the other man’s back.

“I’m good, kid,” Vic said.

“So what are you guys doing here?” Emmett asked excitedly when he and Vic finally pulled apart.

“We’re showing Xander here around,” Debbie replied, smiling and snapping her gum. “Just took him over to the Big Q to see Michael."

“Ohhh.” Emmett’s eyes grew wide with faked excitement. “I’ll bet that was fun.”

“Oh, hush, you!” Debbie swung her purse at him and Emmett barely eluded it.

“That’s why we’re here now,” Vic responded dryly.

“You two,” Debbie groused.

“I enjoyed seeing where Michael worked,” Xander assured Debbie. “At least there were no blinding colors there,” he added as he surveyed the clothing store.

“Except for the ones you’re wearing,” Emmett teased back, and Xander stuck his tongue out at the other man. After all, he was kinda fond of his loud, Hawaiian print shirts.

“Wanna look around?” Emmett asked. Without waiting for a response, he led them on a tour of the store, stopping when he reached a rack of cut off t-shirts. “I’m saving up for one of these,” he said, pulling a hot pink one off the rack. “Not sure what color, yet, but I bet this one would look _great_ on you.” He held the t-shirt up to Xander’s front.

Xander pushed it away. “Yeah, you know, I don’t really think that’s my, uh, color.”

“Oh, honey, with that dark hair and a nice tan, you could pull this off _fabulously_ ,” Emmett assured him. He scurried over to another rack and returned with a pair of lime green leather pants. “With these,” he said excitedly, holding the ensemble up in front of Xander. “What do you think?” he asked Debbie and Vic.

“Oh, I don’t know....” Debbie began, pursing her lips as she studied Xander.

“I’m not sure Xander could pull that off as well as you could, Em,” Vic diplomatically said.

“Yeah, it takes a certain...panache to wear something like that,” Debbie added.

“And I’m so not panache guy,” Xander informed Emmett. “I like to blend, hide, even.”

“In that?” Emmett asked, giving Xander’s shirt a glare.

“This is called ‘hiding in plain sight’,” Xander said, fingering his shirt. “That would be less of the hiding and more of the...not hiding,” he ended feebly. His eyes caught a rack of jeans in normal colors and he dove for them. He pulled a pair of blue jeans off the rack and held them up. “This is more my style.”

Emmett looked at him sadly. “That’s so...sad,” he said.

Xander rolled his eyes and put the jeans back. “I’m just not as...outgoing as you are, Em,” he said. “I can’t help it. I don’t like drawing attention to myself, and that would...would....”

“Okay. So this is too much, I can see that now,” Emmett responded. He hung the shirt and leather pants back up and approached the rack behind Xander with the look of a man on the hunt. He looked Xander over, then looked the rack over. “I can do this,” he muttered, “I can do this. What size?”

Xander told him the size and Emmett plucked a pair of black jeans off the rack. “Okay, now we need a shirt.” He scanned the shop.

“Wait,” Xander said, suddenly feeling like a hare in a fox hole. “I didn’t come here to buy anything.”

“Of course not,” Emmett replied distractedly. “There!” He led them over to a rack of t-shirts with mesh sides. “No pressure. Now, these are less daring than the mid-drift tops, but still sexy. How about this color?” He pulled off a sapphire blue shirt and held it up for Xander to see. “Nice, huh?” he asked Debbie and Vic.

“Oh, that’s pretty,” Debbie said, reaching out to feel the material of the shirt.

“Very nice,” Vic agreed.

Xander’s eyes wandered over the rack and lighted on a sage green t-shirt. He pulled it off and held it up. “I think this would look better with the black jeans,” he said.

Emmett turned to look at him and his eyes widened in horror. “But that...that’s... _boring_ ,” he stammered. “This color is much more vibrant,” he wheedled.

“But this is much more me,” Xander said, standing his ground. “Not that I’m buying anything.”

“Right.” Emmett replaced the blue shirt. “What size?” Xander told him and Emmett searched the rack, finally selecting a sage green shirt. He looked at the clothes in his hand and then at Xander. “Shoes,” he said.

“I don’t need shoes,” Xander replied.

Emmett looked down at Xander’s worn sneakers. “Boots, I think,” he said, ignoring Xander’s protest. “Black.” And then he was gone, leading them over to the shoe department. “Size?” he called back over his shoulder.

Five minutes later Xander and Emmett were standing outside one of the stalls in the dressing room. Emmett unlocked it and slipped inside to hang the clothes up, setting the boots on the bench. He turned and looked at Xander. “Need help?” he asked with a suggestive leer.

“No!” Xander squealed.

Emmett pinched Xander’s side as he stepped out of the cubicle, making Xander jump. “Get in there, sweetie,” Emmett said. “And don’t even think about taking them off without showing us.” He held up the set of keys and jingled them. “Or I’ll be forced to come in there and get you.”

“Fine, fine,” Xander muttered as he moved into the cubby and pulled the door closed behind him, hearing the lock snick with relief. He mumbled to himself about overbearing friends who couldn’t take no for an answer as he toed his sneakers off and got undressed. He took the jeans off the hanger and stepped into them, stopping when they didn’t slide easily over his hips.

“These jeans are too small,” he muttered, knowing Emmett was standing right outside and would hear him.

“They’re perfect,” Emmett insisted.

Xander checked for the tag. “These are a size smaller than I take!”

“Your other pants are too baggy. They’re fine for work, but you won’t be wearing these jeans to work.”

“I’m not going to be able to breathe!” There was no reply, so Xander huffed and struggled to pull the jeans up and button them. He grabbed the t-shirt and checked the tag. He shook his head; a size smaller than he usually wore. He pulled the shirt on and instead of being loose so he could hide inside it, it fit snugly across his chest and around his arms.

“Don’t forget the boots,” Emmett said softly, obviously aware that Xander had the jeans and t-shirt on.

With a look at the closed door, Xander bent to sit on the bench. “Holy moly!” He immediately straightened and undid the buttons, then tried sitting again. The jeans were quite tight around his ass and thighs, but at least he could bend and sit. He managed to get the boots on, but then had to stand up and put his feet on the bench to tie them. That accomplished, he took a deep breath to suck his gut in and re-buttoned the jeans. They actually felt a little bit looser since he’d sat down in them, but they were still snug.

Xander shoved the door of the stall open and stepped out, glaring at Emmett. The look was lost on Emmett though, as he ran his eyes up and down Xander’s body.

“Oh my god!”

Emmett grabbed his hand and dragged Xander out of the dressing room, shoving Xander in front of him. “Isn’t he to _die_ for?” he asked Debbie and Vic, and anyone within hearing distance.

Xander blushed as Debbie and Vic looked him over.

“Gorgeous,” Debbie finally said, smiling warmly at Xander. Xander couldn’t help but smile back.

“I’d do him,” Vic said. Debbie elbowed Vic, and Xander blushed.

“You’d do anybody,” Debbie reminded him.

“I’d let him do _me_ ,” Emmett said, hugging Xander from behind and kissing his neck. “You look so _hot_ in this outfit,” he added, running his hand over Xander’s chest. “You were right, this color is you.”

Xander blushed even more furiously and wished that the floor would open up and swallow him. Silently. Then hoped that vengeance demons didn’t also monitor your thoughts.

“I don’t need another outfit,” Xander said.

“You need _this_ outfit,” Emmett said, stepping to the side and looking at Xander’s face. “Trust me.”

“I’ll never wear it!”

“That would be a shame,” Debbie said. “We shouldn’t be the only ones who see you in that.” She reached out and pinched his cheeks. “You are _gorgeous_ , and you shouldn’t hide it.”

The way she said it, so easily, leaving Xander in no doubt that she meant it, brought tears to his eyes. He blinked them away and glanced over at Vic who was smiling at him and nodding. “Don’t hide your light under a bushel, kid,” he advised.

Five minutes later Xander walked out of Torso with a new outfit. The new attitude would come later, but it was a start.

The End


End file.
